Greek Texts & Translations

rina, ^note another 20; then to Pachynus, 50; thence again along the third side to Syracuse, 36; ^note from Syracuse to Catana, 60; then to Tauromenium, ^note 33; thence to Messana, 30. ^note Thus on foot ^note from Pachynus to Pelorias we have 168 [miles], and from Messana ^note to [Cape] Lilybeum, on the Via Valeria, ^note we have 235 ^note [miles]. Some have estimated the circuit in a more simple way, as Ephorus, who says that the compass of the island by sea takes five days and nights. Posidonius attempts to determine the situation of the island by climata, ^note and places Pelorias to the north, Lilybaeum to the south, and Pachynus to the east. We however consider that of necessity all climata are set out in the manner of a parallelogram, but that districts portrayed as triangles, and especially such triangles as are scalene, ^note and whereof no one side lies parallel to a side of the parallelogram, cannot in any way be assimilated to climata on account of their obliquity. However, we must allow, that in treating of Sicily, Pelorias, which lies to the south of Italy, may well be called the most northern of the three angles, so that we say that the line which joins it ^note to Pachynus faces the east but looks towards the north. ^note Now this line [of coast] will make the side next the Strait [of Messina], and it must have a slight inclination towards the winter sunrise; ^note for thus the shore slightly changes its direction as you travel from Catana towards Syracuse and Pachynus. Now the transit from Pachynus to the mouth of the Alpheus ^note is 4000 stadia. But when Artemidorus says that from Pachy-